


The Edge of Remorse

by Deanpala, the_ineffable_yeet



Category: The Glass Scientists (Webcomic), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: Blackmail, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gaslighting, Role Reversal, Save my poor boi, switch au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-09-28 19:16:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20431082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deanpala/pseuds/Deanpala, https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_ineffable_yeet/pseuds/the_ineffable_yeet
Summary: Henry Jekyll was not a nice person. And if Jekyll was terrible to start with...How bad must Hyde be? A role swap AU in which Henry is mean, Hyde is sad and Lanyon is confused.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! This story will deal heavily with emotional abuse and manipulation!

* * *

Henry Jekyll was not a nice person.

Everyone seemed to know that. He was selfish, manipulative, and cared little for the consequences of his actions unless they affected him directly.

However, there were only two men who truly understood the depravity of the man; his ex best friend, and his other half.

Edward Hyde.

The poor thing was created as a mistake, a wish to be able to do whatever he wanted without consequence gone wrong.

It goes without saying that making all the good in you into a separate independent being is quite a failure, and not a day went by without Jekyll reminding him of that. That he shouldn’t exist, and that he was lucky he was even allowed to exist or ever get control of the body they shared. Of course Hyde owed it to him to try to fix his wrongs in the few hours he got.

He would’ve tried to help without the guilt trip either way. Not that Edward knew that, and even if he did, he wouldn’t believe it for a second. Henry Jekyll had set out to separate good from evil and ended up with him instead.

And how could a crime against the natural law of things be good?

How could a creature that hid in the corners of a man’s mind and take his body be anything but evil?

And if Jekyll was terrible to start with…….

How bad must he be?


	2. Chapter 2

The very first night he had come into existence, Hyde had been made to feel wrong and guilty. Jekyll had just trampled a child for bumping into him and immediately tried to run away only to corner himself. He frantically looked for a way out, knowing that several respectable men had seen what he had done, when he suddenly remembered the potion in his pocket that was meant to change his appearance. Jekyll, despite his recklessness, was too much of a coward to try it but also didn’t want to get left without it in case of an instance like this. He figured that the men would either think he was the wrong person and go leave him be, or that they hadn’t gotten a glance of his face to start and would blame this whole thing on someone who didn’t exist. Either way, he had nothing to lose at this point, so he downed the entire vial in in one go.

The liquid stung on his lips and down his throat. For a brief moment his stomach was full of a fizzy warmness, a searing heat that flashed through his chest. He doubled over in pain, certain that the potion was botched and he was going to die. It flooded his veins, making it impossible to move, to breathe, to think.

And suddenly, someone new had awakened.

He opened his eyes and looked around, as confused and disoriented as anyone who had just come into existence would be. With shaky legs he pushed himself away from the wall and stumbled across the alley. A rat scampered away from him and he yelped. A small gathering of people seemed to hear him.

“There, that’s where the scum went!”

The group rounded the corner, led by a tall, well-dressed man. Among them was a woman holding a young girl by the arm. She was sniffling, red eyes puffy with tears.

“That’s him, all right.” The woman pointed a shaking finger. The crowd gathered before him but kept a distance, their gazes a mix of resentment and fear.

“Pardon me, but what seems to be the matter?” He said. This only seemed to make them more angry. He stuttered.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“You thought you could just weasel out of this and hide? Look what you’ve done to the poor girl, she’s hurt! Who are you to treat people as such?”

The girl seemed more upset than hurt, but this didn’t seem like the time to point that out. There was one point that confused him, however.

“Hide?”

How could he have been trying to hide anything? He had taken less than five steps in the entirety of his existence so far. He was just beginning to understand that he might be in trouble for something, and he certainly didn’t know how to solve this issue yet.

“Hyde? And do you possess a first name?”

The man stared, mind blank, at the dirt-slicked road and racked his brain. A name. Flashes of streets and fancy clothing and chandeliers came to his memory, impossible to piece together. Did he have a name? Any old name would do.

“Ed- Edward,” He stammered.

“Edward Hyde, you’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

Edward shrunk under the cold and accusatory gazes of the crowd. Maybe he had done something wrong. Everyone here seemed so sure of it….

“Pay? I- how much do you want?”

The man glared angrily at him.

“You think money will make up for all of this?”

“No but I- I thought you wanted…that is. Um. What would you like?”

“I want your reputation in ruins.”

Hyde could feel a deep fear from something inside him, something foreign, at the threat against reputation. For some reason, he couldn’t help smiling.

“I’m afraid I’m rather new to town and have little reputation to speak of, but I’ll be happy to assist some other way.”

The man huffed at him, but quickly gave a reply.

“I supposed one hundred pounds will do then. For the damage and emotional trauma, you understand.”

Hyde did not, nor did he understand money very well yet, so the fact that one hundred pounds was enough to buy a house was lost on him. He gladly nodded, happy to have finally come to an agreement with the man.

Maybe the man’s surprise at his agreement should have tipped him off, allowed him a chance to prepare for all the screaming and abuse that was to come for his mistake, but at this moment, he could feel nothing but relief.

He led the group a short distance away to a nearby door, the area becoming more familiar as his scattered mind reclaimed memories. Pulling out a key, he entered and returned with a check for the agreed upon amount, and enthusiastically offered to stay with them until the banks opened to ensure the check was real.

When they recounted the story, they would mention how gleeful he was about the whole thing. They would not mention how eager to help he was, or how he went to comfort the girl. They would say he was a sadist who found the entire affair of hurting people and making them uncomfortable delightful.

In the morning Jekyll would feel a brief tug in his soul. 

Ah, guilt. he thought. He had a foot hold now.

Maybe this experiment was good for something after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Hyde!
> 
> Also at RBCECEPTICON17 I owe you my life thank you so much for commenting last chapter and for being so invested in the story! We hope it continues to bring you joy.

Henry tapped his foot impatiently under the table. Dealing with the constables was always so inexplicably dull.

“Sir, with all due respect, this is the third account of public disturbance tied to you and your associates this month.” The officer said, tone of voice delegating none of the due respect.

“And this is the third time this month I’ve been unnecessarily summoned here. I’ve told you, come find me when you have something substantial to prove it.” He gave a tight smile that said, which you won’t. He does an excellent job hushing witnesses and misdirecting blame.

“I’m merely asking you to look into your own accounts and answer some questions, Mr-”

“Doctor.” He didn’t go to that bloody school to be addressed as a commoner.

“Doctor Jekyll. If these reports do happen to have some merit, we’re going to do a full investigation. It’ll be hell for you, not to mention the paperwork.”

“Yes, I’m sure it would be dreadful,” Jekyll nodded, “if any of it were true. Now are you going to keep me here all afternoon hurling me with baseless accusations, or are you going to get the hell on with your job?” 

That last bit might have been too harsh, but he had had enough of this. The police officer bristled as Henry got up and slung his cape over his shoulder. 

“We’re going to find something, Doctor.”

“Nice chat.” Jekyll said, shutting the door behind him.

He made his way down the familiar police halls- yes, he’s been called here an absurd amount of times- smooth, calculated steps betraying none of the tense anxiety coiled inside. They were more confident than usual. A typical police visit involved some bland questioning before sighing and letting him go. In the mirror at the end of the hall, something shimmered. A small, shabby figure appeared, replacing his own reflection, and Henry glared at it with disgust.

“Well now they definitely know it was our fault, what with the way you talked to him.” Edward murmured in a sullen whispery voice.

“Your fault. And they don’t know shit.” Henry spat back.

“What if he actually finds evidence?”

“I’ll make sure he’s fired before that happens.”

“Jekyll, you can’t!” Edward cried. “He’s only doing his job.”

“Oh, can’t I? I have friends. I’ll make sure the investigation stops cold. Besides, he was rude.” Henry snarled. “Practically deserves it.” 

This declaration made the tangled knot inside him loosen somewhat. A stray, unwelcome thought wound around his fingers, his neck, his heart, whispering, hypocrite. He threw a second glare at Hyde before the thought could escape through his mouth. Edward shrunk back in shame, his form slipping away until the mirror once again reflected Henry Jekyll’s sharp red eyes and pristine attire. He straightened his back and looked away, striding outside to where a rented carriage was waiting for him.

Yes, whenever Jekyll was caught in an unsavory situation, it merely took a few called-upon favors and well-written letters to get it taken care of. A little conniving and misdirection never hurt anyone. Well, anyone worth anything anyways.


	4. Chapter 4

Lanyon was a man of few cares. He didn’t have bills to worry about, or any social issues, almost nothing was worth his notice.

But there was this one matter he had to prioritize. There was a parcel in his pocket, and as he crossed familiar streets and alleyways he was careful to look over his shoulder. This was one of the few things in his life that Lanyon had been forced to devote any kind of responsibility or discreet punctuality to, albeit begrudgingly.

He usually wouldn’t have cared about any depletion of funds, as he had an abundance of money. But it was the idea of it, what it was for, that bugged him. The fact he had to go into this filthy neighborhood every week and look at that horrid man was what truly got under his skin and make him so miserable.

He didn’t think anyone deserved to have to do what he did.

Which is why when he saw a young, nervous man leaving Henry’s apartment- no, not Henry, he reminded himself, it hadn’t been Henry since the incident- there was a frantic feeling in his gut.

“Pardon me sir!” he shouted as the young man jumped, startled at being addressed. “Is Jekyll in right now?”

“I’m, uh- no, no he’s not. Not here.”

Lanyon approached him on the sidewalk. The apartment building cast a shadow over the man, and between that and the fact that he stared firmly at the ground, Lanyon couldn’t get a good look at his face.

“He’s not in his apartment.” The man repeated again, as if saying it with more insistence would make Lanyon go away.

“Pity.” Lanyon muttered, not really over the absence of the doctor but more over the fact that he would have to come back again later. That, and it seemed Jekyll found yet another victim. “And just what were you doing in his apartment without him being present?”

“I’m… his assistant.”

Lanyon let out a skeptical laugh before turning serious.

“Hm. I’m _ sure. _Listen, whatever… arrangement you have with the man, I’d suggest you get out of soon as possible. Henry Jekyll is not a good man, and he will ruin your life if he gets the chance. Just a word of warning.”

The man stopped and looked him over, less like he wanted to disappear and more like an... understanding. His eyes, when they finally managed to look at Lanyon’s face, were a dull, haunted green.

“I can’t, but thank you. For the advice. Mr..?”

“Robert Lanyon.”

A look of recognition crossed the smaller man's face as he stuck out his hand.

“Edward Hyde.”

Lanyon shook his hand and shivered. The man wasn’t poor by any means- one look at his attire could tell anyone that- but his hands were spindly and clammy, as though he never got the chance to have a decent meal. As he looked at this man, an intense sense of sadness and nostalgia struck him. It made him think of times and people before it all went sideways, the times before back-alleys and secret night visits with pockets full of dirty money. On impulse, he reached into his coat and pulled out a business card with his address on it.

“If you ever need a friend.”

Hyde took the card and nodded. 

“May we meet again.” He said.

Then he stepped back, making his way in the direction he was originally headed, away from Jekyll’s shadowy apartment and into the streets.


End file.
